Our new Year-Long Intern started yesterday!  We are so excited.  Here is a “quick hello” from Stacey:

After four months of raising support, six days in a car, 32 video blog updates along the way, and one very long trip to IKEA, I have finally arrived at the Amor Ministries Global Headquarters in San Diego, Calif.  And I couldn’t be more thrilled!

Originally from Dunedin, Fla. (near Tampa), I am a 2010 graduate from the University of Florida, GO GATORS!!!, with a major in public relations and minors in business administration and non-profit management.  Previously, I have held public relations internships with Peppercom Strategic Communications in New York City and March of Dimes in Gainesville, Fla.  Most recently, I was an assistant account executive at C.C. Communications in Clearwater, Fla.

I began working with Amor as a trip participant with the Harborside Christian Church high school youth group in 2004.  It only took four days in Mexico for me to completely fall in love with the families, the work God is doing, and Amor as an organization.  I knew from that first trip across the border that my time at Amor was far from over.  As much as people like to make fun of my pink wardrobe and “Legally Blonde” personality, I think I even surprised myself with how much I enjoyed being covered in cement dust and living in a tent.

One summer, I remember specifically as I was working on a roof and nailing tar paper, an Amor summer intern, Lyndsie, mentioned to me about Project Nexus, Amor’s summer intern program.  Two years later, I was on a plane to San Diego to become a Nexus volunteer in 2007.  That summer was one I will never forget.  I made some amazing friends and experienced God in some incredible ways.

Throughout my time at the University of Florida, I returned to Amor twice as a Project Barnabas volunteer and also brought some friends along with me.  While my senior year of college was in full swing in 2009, I felt God tugging on my heart to take a year and serve Him in some capacity.  As I researched mission trips and organizations, I kept being pulled back towards Amor.  Nothing else felt right to me, and I knew that God was calling me to come back again.

My Amor Year-Long Internship with Amor is mostly centered with the Ministry Relations Team, specifically with public relations and media relations.  I will also be working with volunteer coordination including both Project Barnabas and Project Nexus. I am excited to be able to use my education here, and I pray that God blesses my time and allows me to both learn from and contribute to His ministry through Amor.

Interested in being an Amor intern?  Check out our website for Amor’s internship opportunities:  Year-Long Internship, Project Barnabas (spring field interns), and Project Nexus (summer field interns).

Amor’s 30th Anniversary at Petco Park in San Diego is just around the corner – 5 days and counting until the Labor Day game!! We would love for you to be there to celebrate with us while watching the San Diego Padres play the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres are giving us a special offer to sell tickets at a discounted rate – 20% off face value and Amor will receive $2 from every ticket sold under the Promo Code (listed below).  You will need to buy your tickets online before of the game.  If you purchase tickets at the door, they will not be discounted and Amor will not receive the $2 profit.  It is likely that this game will sellout, so get your tickets today!  We wouldn’t want you to miss out.

Game Details:
Padres vs. Dodgers
Monday, September 6 @ 7:05 p.m.
Pre-Game Tailgate Party (Detail below, you won’t want to miss this.)
Post-Game Firework Show

Ticket Purchase Details:
1. Go to: www.padres.com/promo
2. Type in Promo Code: Amor.
3. Click on Los Angeles Dodgers.
4. Select seats you want.
5. See you at the game!

Tailgate Party:
Amor will be hosting a tailgate party at Petco Park’s tailgate parking lot from 4 – 6:30 p.m. before the game where you can enjoy free hot dogs and raffle prizes will be announced every hour!  Click here to see the tailgate lot location, it is easiest to enter the lot at 13th Street and K Street (which is a couple blocks east of Petco Park).  Look for the Amor banner or t-shirt flag.  Can’t wait to see you there!

See you at the ball game Monday, September 6!  Who will win, the Dodgers or the Padres?!

Thought I would share a video we just received from University Bible Church.  Love how the video captures the family they were building a home for – their joy, their love, and their excitement was so fun to see.  Good work University Bible Church!

Enjoy…

As part of our 30th Anniversary celebration, we have been asking Amor Mission Trip participants to share their stories of how Amor has had an impact on their lives.  Submit your Amor story today! www.amor.org/MyAmorStory

Anna Davis’ My Amor Story:

We pitched our tent in the dry, dusty dirt.
We ate in the dirt, we sang in the dirt.
We played in the dirt, we spat in the dirt.
We went to the baños and made more dirt.
Then we prayed in the dirt, and we slept in the dirt.

The next day we met a family and realized they had lived their lives
everyday, all day, in the dirt.

So we worked in the road that was nothing but dirt,
and we mixed and sifted in the yard that was dirt.
We nailed in the dirt and measured in the dirt,
sawed in the dirt and sweated in the dirt.

For just a few days we built in the dirt,
and rode buses that billowed with dirt.
And an earthquake came and shook the dirt,
and wildfires came and burnt the dirt.
And at the end of the day we’d take a shower,
just to get rid of all that dirt.

By week’s end our sweet family of mama and two sons,
had a house with a roof, two windows and door
and didn’t have to eat, sleep, work, play and live everyday,
all day, in the dirt anymore.

Calling all Denver, Colorado friends and family of Amor!

Come hear Andy Lyde, Amor’s Director of Mission Education, unveil the vision of Amor for the future!

30th Anniversary Celebration Event – Denver, Colorado

Event Details:
August 29, 2010
Northglenn Christian Church, 1800 East 105th Place, Northglenn, CO 80233
Celebration events will occur during the 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. church services.
Event Location Map

For more 30th Anniversary Celebration Event information, visit www.amor.org/30years.

Upcoming Celebration Events include:
Padres vs. Dodgers Game – September 6th
Southern California Dinner – October 2nd
Celebration Event in Naperville, IL – October 10th
Dallas Golf Tournament – October 18th
Northern California Dinner – October 23rd
You won’t want to miss out!

Check out our new 30th Anniversary Video – You are the difference!!

As part of our 30th Anniversary celebration, we have been asking Amor Mission Trip participants to share their stories of how Amor has had an impact on their lives.  Submit your Amor story today! www.amor.org/MyAmorStory

Here is Kyle Ozawa’s “My Amor Story”.

Kyle’s Amor Story:

A few weeks ago, my friend and I returned from South Africa where we spent a week with Amor Ministries, building a house for “Mama Maria” in the township of Delmas. While I have built many Amor houses in Mexico prior to this trip, there was something very unique and powerful about this particular experience. From day one, our group was joined by members of the local community, churches, and schools. What was fascinating was the diversity of the group. They ranged from affluent white Dutch Reformed Church members to local neighborhood kids. Yet, despite their apparent differences, everyone got dirty, picked up a trowel, and helped get the house built in just under a week’s time.

There were moments when the situation was a little chaotic with so many people, but it was an amazing sight to behold. We later learned that for many of the white community members, especially the children, this was the first time they had been in an impoverished “township.” For the local black community, seeing members from the affluent white community work to build a house for one of their neighbors sent a powerful message that reconciliation can truly happen. What I realized in the end was that our work would have a much greater effect than the structure that we left behind. The irony of it all is that in the end, we broke down more walls than we actually built.

Kyle & Bill with Kids

Amor’s X Project is a mission trip for individuals.  Two weekends ago, August 13-15, another family received a home from a group of individuals (some that knew each other and others that did not) that joined together in Jesus’ name.

Here is a video from one of the participants, Scott Kuban, showing how the group of individuals were serving in the name of Jesus:

Here are just a few pictures of the August Amor X Project – To see all of the images, visit Amor’s flickr site.

Group picture in front of the completed Amor house.

Mother of the house inside her new home!

Members of X Project hard at work.

Family members joining in on the building.

There is TWO more X Project trips scheduled for 2010 – September 3-5 and October 9.   The September 3-5 X Project is a 3-day build and we are framing the trip as a “reunion trip” for all past Amor volunteers, staff, and participants.  We would love to have you all there!  The October 9th X Project is a 1-day house build…ya, build an entire house in one day!  Want to go?  Learn more here.

2011 X Project Dates:

• 3-Day Builds: August 5-7 and November 11-13
• 1-Day Builds: February 19 and July 16

Want to go on an Amor X Project?  Learn more here.

Are you ready to see pictures of the actual house being built in Delmas, South Africa?  Today is your lucky day!  You have heard most of the stories and seen just a glimpse of what happened on the Amor Mission Trip, so check out all of the photos by clicking on the link below.

Flickr Site – South Africa Photos

Our week of blogs about the Amor Mission Trip in South Africa is coming to a close, but we have so much to tell you about!

Today we are going to concentrate on the building…Amor builds houses as a way to provide a tangible way to eradicate poverty, but more importantly, it is a vehicle for those building to show God’s love to the families receiving a new home.   The group of individuals and small groups that traveled to South Africa to build Maria a home showed their love for God and their growing love for Maria and her family in so many ways.  But we think that Maria probably understood the group’s commitment to her family at the very end of the trip.  Let us explain why…

As the week of building was coming to a close, the group quickly came to the realization that the house was not going to get completely finished before they left the Ebenezer Farm and the work site to have some personal travel time to visit the Lion Park.  A couple individuals among the group began to start discussion about forgoing the personal travel time and stay one more day at the work site to complete Maria’s home.  One thing led to another and the group decided to take a vote to fairly decide if they should stay one more day to finish the house or go on as scheduled and have their personal travel time.  The group then had an unanimous vote to stay one more day to finish Maria’s house.  The group was tired, dirty, and even more tired.  But they made a great sacrifice to make sure Maria and her family knew how much they really loved her, and how much God loved her!  This exemplifies why Amor exists.  We are so grateful to the group for truly grasping their purpose in serving Maria and her family.

Here are some pictures of Maria’s new house.

Putting on the finishing touches.

The entire group in front of the finished house!

Maria's new home!

Does an Amor Mission Trip to South Africa interest you?  We will be going back next year…in fact, in 2011 Amor will be hosting a women’s retreat in South Africa in July (specific dates TBA) among other opportunities.  To learn more about the Amor Mission Trip to South Africa, please call Mission Services at 619.662.1200 ext.6 or visit our website.